Never Again
by serendipity-smiles
Summary: Dark and Angsty. Been watching Vintage Jarly clips and I just got this idea... Set in 1999- Summary in first chapter : Love my Jason and Carly
1. Chapter 1

**This occurs in 1999 after Carly and Jason say "goodbye" at the penthouse and Jason has his talk with Sonny and he realizes that he lost Carly. This is going to be pretty dark off and on and AJ has been drinking this whole time.

Never Again

Chapter 1

Carly is nervous as she watches A.J. on the ride home. He hasn't said much and she is just waiting for the explosion that she knows is coming. The anger and tension sits like a heavy cloud over them.

Even after returning to the mansion he is eerily quiet.

Leaving him in the study she heads to the nursery to check on Michael. Her little boy is the only thing that can bring a smile to her face. Leaning over she places a soft kiss on his sleeping head. Somehow she would make this ok for him- for both of them.

Somehow she would pretend that her heart wasn't breaking into a million pieces and that she would be able to pretend that her heart didn't belong to a man in a penthouse across town.

Choking back a sob she goes into her pristine room and not for the first time shivers at how cold it makes her feel.

Through her falling tears she manages to get into her nightgown and crawl into bed, leaving her clothes lying carelessly on the floor.

As the tears dry she allows her exhaustion to take over and it is in her dreams that she feels safe.

_Laughing she runs down the penthouse stairs and into Jason's arms._

"_I'm home!" She squeals as she plants kiss after kiss on his face._

_With a chuckle he pulls away, "I promised everything would be ok didn't I?"_

"_Yes… yes you did! I missed you- Michael missed his daddy!" Squeezing him tightly she realizes that she is still wrapped in his arms. Slowly she pulls back and grins, "Sorry, I am just so glad to be home."_

_Not letting her go Jason looks at her intently, "You are home and I am never letting you go again…"_

_He lowers his head and presses a tender kiss to her lips and that is all it takes for the flames to ignite. Their kiss deepens and they kiss so passionately that before long they are both out of breath. Slowly Jason lowers her to her feet and they frantically begin to undress each other not caring that they were standing in the middle of the living area._

"_Oh Jase!" She moans as she feels his hands on her breasts, "I love you!"_

_Suddenly the hands on her body are no longer tender._

"_Ouch! Ow… Jase? Jason, stop! You're hurting me…" She tries to pull away but her body feels heavy and she is unable to move._

A sharp pain pulls Carly out of her dream.

"What? A. J., what are you doing? Stop…" She can smell alcohol on his breath and feel his arousal against her leg.

"Stop… what? Stop making love to MY wife? Come on, you were kissing me so sweetly a minute ago… when you thought I was Jason." A. J. slaps her across the face as she tries to pull away, "So how long have you been fucking my brother?"

He finishes ripping her nightgown from her body and crudely shoves his hand in between her legs.

"Please stop…" She is sobbing in pain and fear now as she realizes that A.J. has her completely pinned to the bed and at his mercy.

Grabbing a fist full of her hair he knocks her head against the headboard of the bed effectively stopping her struggles.

Allowing the haze of pain to pull her away from what was going to happen Carly closes her eyes and just prays that he will finish soon.

After he is done, he pulls himself off her and falls asleep, afraid to move she lays there still and allows the tears to fall in silence.

Approaching her window, Jason called himself a fool over and over. What was he doing here? Could he really convince Carly to change her mind and come back to him?

After she had left with A.J. earlier he had felt as if his heart was going to explode from the pain and anger he was feeling inside.

It was only as he was talking to Sonny that he realized that he couldn't let her go. Letting her go would be like cutting off a limb. She was almost as necessary as air to him and he was going to do everything it took to bring her and their son home.

Looking into he window he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.

Feeling as if he had just been shot in the gut he doubled over in pain. Carly was in bed and she wasn't alone. He was too late… she would never be his again.


	2. Chapter 2

** Still working on this. May re-write later : )

N ever Again

Chapter 2

Three Weeks Later

Lost in her own thoughts Carly was oblivious to everything going on around her. Kelly's was pretty busy at the moment and she barely even noticed.

She didn't want to stay there, but she didn't want to go. Meeting Bobbie for lunch had been a mistake, but she hadn't been able to put her off any longer. You could only make up so many excuses to get out of seeing your mom without her getting suspicious.

Her mother had gotten up to talk to Tammy at the counter and Carly was actually glad for the moment of silence. There was only so much conversation one could make when they shutting out the outside world.

Bobbie had asked her why she hadn't brought Michael with her and she had almost panicked. How could she tell her mom that A.J. wouldn't let her leave the house with Michael unless he was present? Her mom would expect her to fight him and break the "rule" anyway, but that was before her life had become a hell on earth.

A.J. had gone through some kind of transformation since the first night he had- come to her room. She couldn't say the "r" even to herself. It was still too traumatic, too fresh in her mind. He had forced himself on her twice more, but he seemed content most of the time to just mentally and emotionally abuse her while grabbing, pinching or punching the parts of her body that she could hide from the outside world. She was getting good at hiding things.

The old Carly would have killed him by now, or at least would have gotten Jason to do it.

Jason...

She hadn't talked to him in three weeks. Not since the morning after...

A.J. had told her that no one would believe her... that everyone knew what a whore she was and that she was a liar. She had never expected for Jason to turn his back on her though.

_The morning after..._

_"Jase?" Carly had approached stepped into the penthouse hesitantly. She could tell that he was not happy to see her._

_"What do you want Carly? I am really busy." Jason didn't even look up from the paperwork on his desk._

_"Something happened Jase and I need..." She fought to push the words out of her mouth, but Jason slamming down his hands on his desk and shoving himself out of his chair stopped her in mid-sentence._

_"Something ALWAYS happens Carly. I am done. Finished. Whatever it is you can handle it yourself this time. Better yet get your HUSBAND to handle it." Jason clinched his angrily. She could tell that he was fighting to keep his temper in check._

_"It's not like that... Jason... I didn't do anything..." Carly started sobbing as she tried to tell him why she was there._

_"YOU never DO anything. Just once, just once I want you admit that something is your fault. That YOU caused it to happen..."_

_"I didn't want it... I didn't want..." Carly was sobbing brokenly shaking her head frantically._

_"Whatever... just get out. Get out and leave me alone. I can't play this game anymore." Jason turned and walked away from her ._

_Carly opened her mouth to tell him that A.J. had raped her... that he was abusing her... but nothing came out of her mouth... he wouldn't believe her. He thought everything was her fault._

_Feeling more alone and empty than she had ever felt in her life, she turned and walked away from the one person she thought would save her._

"Carly? Hey, you want to go and check out that sale over at the cute little boutique you love?" Bobbie had apparently been trying to get her attention for a few minutes.

Shaking the painful memory out of her head, Carly glanced at her watch. She was going to be late getting home and A.J. would be pissed.

"I can't today, momma... Maybe some other time. I have to get home. A.J. likes me to be home when he gets through with work. I need to get out of here. So-I'll give you a call later ok." Carly frantically grabbed her purse and raced out the door leaving a puzzled Bobbie staring after her.

Later that night Luke's

A.J. drank his spiked club soda without even bothering to talk to Carly. He knew that she was upset that he had insisted that they go out for drinks, but he didn't give a damn. She always pouted when she didn't get her way. Looking up he noticed that she was staring at her iced water.

"Carly, you need to eat more, you are getting too skinny. Quit fidgeting you're making me nervous." He narrowed his eyes as he took in the paleness of her skin, "For god sake's did you even bother to wear make-up you look like an invalid."

Feeling her heart drop, Carly knew that he was gearing up for any excuse to fight with her tonight.

"I'm sorry A.J. I just have a headache." She murmured never bothering to lift her eyes from the table.

"A headache? That's not going to work tonight, DEAR." A.J. knew his next statement would get a reaction and he was looking forward to it, "Besides, don't you think it's time we try and get Michael a little brother to play with."

Carly's eyes flew up to look at him in panic. No way in hell did she want to have another child with this man ... Michael was suffering enough for being his kid.

Before she could respond, Luke walked up with a grin, "Well if it isn't my favorite niece and her hubby... How are we doin' tonight, Sweet Caroline?"

Carly wanted to make some snappy comeback, but the look on A.J's face told her she would pay for it later if she did. "Just fine Uncle Luke, thank you for asking."

Luke looked as if he were about to choke for a second before he glanced from Carly to A.J., "I know he's on the wagon, but, what's your excuse. You love your beer... Don't tell me you have given into the evils of sobriety."

"Carly wanted water, no big deal with that, "A.J. answered smoothly, "Besides alcohol isn't good for the baby."

Carly wanted to crawl under the table as soon as she saw the look on Luke's face. She knew he was waiting to lay into her with this new information.

"I'm not pregnant!" She blurted before Luke could say anything.

"But, you will be. Come on dear, I think it's time to go home... Good seeing you Luke." A.J. grabbed Carly's arm and began to lead her to the door.

Shooting an apologetic look at her Uncle Carly tried to keep the fear off her face, "Goodnight, Luke."

Watching the retreating couple with a look of speculation, Luke headed toward his office. Something was definitely wrong here...

Carly had actually been downright polite to him. What in the hell was going on?


	3. Chapter 3

** A/N: Thanks for the reviews!

Never Again

Chapter 3

"Alright Barbara Jean, what is going on with that crazy niece of mine?" Luke drawled as he walked into the Brownstone kitchen.

"Carly? What do you mean? Did something happen?" Bobbie looked up from her coffee with a confused sigh.

"What happened was the girl said 'Thank You'... she even sounded- polite." Luke shivered dramatically."The time before that she only cut me down once. ONCE."

Bobbie rolled her eyes at his antics, "Maybe she is just tired of fighting with you all the time. Did you ever stop and think about that?"

"Nope. No way. Sweet Caroline would never give up like that. Fighting is what we do- other people hide behind politeness and false-sentiment. We fight. That's just how we work... So you haven't noticed anything wrong?"

"She seems a little distracted, but I think it's just taking her some time to adjust to being married and not having Jason around..."

"What do you mean not having Jason around? Did Morgan finally come to his senses?" Luke joked.

"I think they had some kind of fight. Carly won't talk about it. I've tried to bring Jason up a few times, but she gets terribly upset."

Luke is busy thinking about this and mutters to himself, "Maybe I should go and talk to Morgan..."

At Luke's

"Ah! Jason Morgan, just the mobster I wanted to see!" Luke waved Jason back into his office and sat comfortably behind his desk.

"What's going on Luke? You wanted to talk to me?" Jason stood in the doorway hoping that this "meeting" wouldn't take long.

"I was, uh, wondering when the last time you talked to that hellion niece of mine."

"Carly? This is about Carly," Jason pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation, "You pulled me away from work to ask me about the niece you don't even claim?"

"Hey- I am not claiming her or anything, I just wanted to know what was going on with her." Luke pulled out a cigar and stuck it between his teeth.

"I don't know, ask her." Jason turned to walk out the door.

"Look, I get your put out because she's living up at the big house and married to Junior..."

"Luke, Carly is a big girl. She made her choice and now we are all living with it." Jason interrupted impatiently and with more than a little bitterness in his tone.

"Don't get your holster all in a twist... I just thought you might now why she's been acting so out-of-character lately."

"Don't know, don't care. She's not my problem..." Turning to walk at the door, Jason was stopped by Luke's next words.

"You say that, but are you going to be able to forgive yourself if something is wrong and I warned you and you did nothing to help?"

"What do you want me to do?"

The plan had originally been for Jason to try and talk to Carly, but despite all of Luke's pestering Jason had remained firm. He would not purposely seek her out and confront her.

So after an hour of brain-storming Luke had finally gotten the idea to have his sister bring Carly to Luke's for a night out.

Jason would watch Carly and then if he noticed something was off- then he would approach her.

Telling the older man to call him when the details were worked out, Jason left to go to the warehouse.

Luke waited impatiently for Barbara Jean to call him and let him know if Carly had agreed.

When the phone rang he picked up quickly, "Barbara Jean?"

"Luke, before you asked me to call Carly, I was thinking you were paranoid... but now, I am not sure that you aren't right. Carly actually told me that she would have to ask A.J. for permission to go out and even then she was doubtful that he would let her go out without him. She didn't even sound mad or like she was going to fight to get her way... nothing. She sounded resigned... it's like she has accepted defeat and allowed A.J. to call the shots."

"Well, if Junior won't let her out of the house for good behavior then get her to bring him... maybe we can watch them both and get a clue on why sweet Caroline has decided to play nice."

Hanging up the phone Luke called Jason to let him know of the latest development.

The object of everyone's concern was standing outside the GH pharmacy not knowing that her secret was going to be blown wide open soon.

Carly was hoping that she wouldn't run into anyone she recognized today. A. J. would be livid if he knew she was still taking birth control behind his back. He was determined to impregnate her and she was just as determined for that not to happen.

"Mrs. Quartermaine? Here's a 3 month supply of your birth control pills. After you finish these you will need to schedule a physical with your doctor and she can renew your prescription."

Carly thanked the man quietly and was turning when she heard a familiar voice.

"You BITCH!" Emily had been standing behind with Elizabeth and she had heard what the pharmacist had said, "You are going behind A.J.'s back aren't you? You just sat there and listened to him go on and on about how excited he was to be trying for a baby. How could you?"

Taking a deep breath Carly tried to control her temper, "What I do is none of your business. You need to keep your nose out of it and your mouth shut."

Emily laughed, "Why should I? I think A.J. has a right to know what's going on."

Elizabeth just stood there with a smug look on her face and nodded in agreement.

Carly felt a panic rise as she heard Emily's threat, "Please... please Emily. Don't say anything to A.J. Please, I know you hate me, but I am begging you to not say anything. Please."

"Wow! You really must be desperate. I don't think I have ever heard you say "Please" before," Emily sneered, "Fine. I'll keep your secret for now, but if you don't come clean to A.J. by the end of the month, I can't guarentee anything."

Taking a deep breath Carly muttered her thanks and rushed away in a agitated state.

"That's so like Carly... uh, I just wish that she would go away sometimes. I mean, both A.J. and Michael would be so much better off without her around." Elizabeth snickered.

"No kidding." Emily watched Carly leave the building with a speculative look on her face.

A/N: Working away on this... deep thoughts and all that : )


	4. Chapter 4

Never Again- Chapter 4

Jason sat at "their" bench staring out at the water. He would never admit it, but he had hoped that Luke could get Carly to Luke's tonight just so he could see her- just so he had an excuse to talk to her again.

Every day that went by he missed her more... the harder he tried to let her go, the more he thought about her- dreamed about her.

No matter how he played it off it bothered him to know that something could be wrong with Carly and he wasn't there to fix it and it had been his choice. He had turned her away and now she wouldn't come to him.

To be honest he hadn't expected her to stay away so long. That was just how they were- they would fight and she would come back and they would talk things out. He never actually imagined that she would stop coming around.

Maybe he should just swallow his pride and go to her. The only problem was- if he went to her, would he be able to let her go again?

Emily wasn't sure what woke her up. Maybe it was nothing, but for some reason she found herself crawling out of bed and peaking down the hallway.

In the shadows she saw A.J. staggering from Carly's room and heading down the stairs.

She couldn't stop the natural instinct to find out what was going on... even if she didn't like Carly, there was something about the way A.J. left the other woman's room that had warning bells going off in her head.

Tip-toeing toward Carly's door, she held her breath listening for any noise that might be out of place. It was only as she approached the door itself that she heard the soft sobs coming from the room.

Quietly, she opened the door and looked in. "Carly?" She whispered trying to see through the shadows.

The quiet crying stopped as Emily entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Carly, it's ok. It's me Emily." Her heart literally stopped beating for a second when she finally found her. Carly was crouched in the corner of her room, a sheet wrapped clumsily around her. It was as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible.

Emily got down on her knees in front of the woman who had been on her shit list for so long.

Reaching out carefully she tried to put a hand on Carly's shoulder, but stopped when the other woman flinched.

"Carly, let me help you. Are you ok? Do you want me to call Jason?" Emily didn't feel disloyal to A.J. for suggesting that she call her other brother. It was what she would want if she were in Carly's position.

"NO!" Carly grabbed Emily's hand in a tight grip, "Please, please don't tell Jason... he can't know... please... oh god, oh- you can't tell him. He'll hate me..."

Carly sobbed hysterically begging the young woman looking at her with such sad eyes to follow her wishes.

"My god, what did A.J. do to you?" Emily murmured not really expecting an answer.

"Nothing... he didn't do anything. Please just forget that this happened ok... if not for me, do it for Michael... please. I don't want anyone to know. A.J., he, he just gets mad sometimes. Really, everything is ok."

Shaking her head Emily helped Carly to stand. "Alright, I won't say anything. But, this isn't right. A.J. doesn't have the right to so this..."

"I'm ok. I swear." Carly grabbed her night gown off the floor and watched as Emily turned to walk out of the room.

"Emily?" The quiet voice made Emily stop in her tracks and turn.

"Thank you." Carly whispered sadly, the only thing the girl could do was whisper a reply and shut the door behind her.

This wasn't something she could ignore. But, what could she do. Jason would kill A.J. if he knew what was going on.

~ The next evening at Kelly's~

Jason walked glancing around for his baby sister. He was concerned about the mysterious reason that she had her pleading with him to meet her.

Looking up Emily tried to smile at her brother, tried to act like she wasn't being torn-up by what she was about to do.

Standing up she quickly gave him a hug and sat down across from him.

"What's going on Em?" Jason looked at her intently, "You know you can talk to me... about anything."

"I know. It's just, this is so complicated... It's about Carly." She lowered her voice and leaned toward Jason.

Taking a deep breath Jason rolled his eyes, "I know. I know- you hate Carly. What do you expect me to do? She's married to A.J. You just have to avoid her, if you can."

"It's not that... it's A.J." Emily began but froze as she saw the topic of her conversation walk through the door.

"Isn't this cozy? A little family get together... I am hurt that I wasn't invited." A.J. smirked at Jason as he walked up to the table.

"Go away A.J." Jason said as he turned bored eyes toward the guy who had once been his older brother.

A.J. ignored the glares he was getting from his brother and walked toward the counter.

"He is such an asshole. "Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience.

Emily took a sip of her drink and tried to decide what her next move would be. Could she really rat A.J. out with him being there- an available target for Jason's anger.

Before she could say anything, Jason's cell phone rang, "Hold on, Em."

Standing up he stepped outside to take his call.

Emily was so busy trying to decide how she was going to tell Jason what she suspected that she barely noticed A.J. stomping out the door.

Elizabeth came up to the table with a satisfied smirk.

"What's going on?" Emily asked with a confused look.

"Well, A.J. was telling me how excited he was about Carly getting pregnant that I felt sorry for the poor guy." Elizabeth began with a snicker.

"What did you do? Elizabeth, please tell me you didn't say anything."

Elizabeth just gave a tiny shrug, "So... it's not like you like her or anything. I just figured you might have told Carly that you wouldn't mention the birth control, but I sure as hell didn't. "

Emily stood up and raced out the door, all she could think about was what A.J. would do to Carly once he found out what she had been hiding from him.

She didn't even stop to think about Jason and he was so caught up in his phone conversation that he hadn't noticed A.J. leave or her attempt to follow him.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Very dark chapter... but...

Never Again

Chapter 5

Emily was seriously out of breath when she raced into the mansion. Everything was strangely quiet except for the faint sounds of an argument occurring upstairs. She knew that her parents and grandparents had gone out of town for the weekend, but that only made her feel more frightened.

Hesitantly she walked up the stairs only to be greeted by a frightened Leticia peeking out of the nursery.

"Miss Emily, thank goodness you're here. Carly says not to worry when Mr. Quartermaine gets like this, but something is really wrong this time. "

"What do you mean? What's going on?"

"Carly was in here playing with Michael when Mr. Quartermaine came in acting crazy. He practically dragged her out of here... I..."

Emily heard her cell phone ring and noticing the number on the screen she quickly picked it up.

"Jason... " She began to tell him what was going on, but he cut her off.

"What happened? I came back in to Kelly's and you were gone... what's going on, Em?"

"Jason, you need to get over here... A.J. has gone crazy and I am really freaking out." Emily's voice quivered.

"Where are Carly and Michael?"

"Michael's ok. He is in the nursery with me and Leticia..."

"Carly?"

Taking a deep breath Emily said, "She's with A.J. Please hurry I think he's really going to hurt her this time."

Hearing the words "this time" Jason nearly lost it. "I'm on my way. I want you and Leticia to grab Michael and get out of the house. I don't trust A.J. to go after Michael next..."

As Jason jumped on his motorcycle he prayed he could get to Carly in time.

~~ Q Mansion~

Jason carefully walked through the front door listening and looking for signs of where A.J. might be.

Emily had met him at the front gate and explained to him that Leticia had taken Michael to hide in the boathouse, but she had stayed to keep an eye on things.

She had watched as A.J. fled the mansion only a few minutes before Jason had arrived.

Even though he had asked her to stay back, Emily refused and she was walking quietly behind him.

"Carly?" Jason yelled up the stairs- his heart was beating so loud- it was the only noise to break the silence. Carly was not responding.

Jason quickly made his way to Carly's room and with a hand motion to tell Emily to stay put he opened the door. He had a bad feeling about what he was going to find and he didn't want Emily to see what had happened.

"Carly?" He yelled again as he noticed that the room was destroyed and there was glass and pieces of furniture everywhere. He could hear the sounds of the shower running. Maybe Carly was ok. Maybe she was just in the shower and couldn't hear him. Yeah, right... he was fooling himself if he believed that.

Opening the door to the bathroom his heart literally stopped as he peered through the steam in the air.

He could see a trail of blood leading to the shower and he was afraid of what he would find at its end.

"Carly... it's me... Jason." Slowly he crept to the shower, he sighed in relief when he heard the soft whimpers coming from the shower. Whimpers were good. Whimpers meant she was alive.

Whatever he had been expecting the reality was worse. Opening the shower door he froze in horror.

Carly was huddled in a ball at the bottom. She was naked except for the bruises covering her slender body and the blood trickling down from her nose and mouth. It was obvious from the way her eyes were swelling and turning purple that her nose was broken.

"Jason, is she ok?" Emily called from the door.

"Em, grab me the blanket off her bed..."Jason crouched down to eye-level in an attempt to get Carly's attention.

"It's going to be ok. I am here and you're safe." Murmured brushing her wet hair off of her forehead while trying to assess the damage to her body and face.

When he got no response he began to get even more concerned. Had A.J. broken his brave and feisty best friend? Would she ever recover from this?

"Oh my god," Emily gasped when she approached Jason, "Should I call an ambulance?"

"No... is Reginald or Alice here? We can use one of the family cars? It'll be faster."

"I think everyone is pretty much off today, but I know where the keys are..." Emily finished and ran down the stairs to grab the keys.

With slow and steady movements Jason turned off the shower and placed the towel around Carly's shoulders. The whole time he talked to Carly in a calm and steady voice hoping to reassure her.

As if she finally noticed him standing over her Carly whimpered, "I'm SO sorry Jase... it's all my fault..."

"No... it's going to be ok. This is not your fault."

Emily ran back into the room with the keys, "Alice was in the kitchen, she's pulling the car around. What do you want me to do?"

As Jason stood up with Carly bundled in his arm he made a quick plan of action.

"I want you and Leticia to grab Michael's diaper bag and go to my place. Call me when you get locked in."

Emily was crying softly as she watched her stoic brother try to keep his emotions under control. It was obvious he was fighting a tough battle from the way his voice broke and he had to clear his throat several times.

"Jason?" Carly whispered

"Yeah, Carly. I got you." Jason replied while he swiftly headed down the stairs.

"Did you come to take us home?"

Jason's heart broke as the question sunk in, "Yeah, baby, I am taking you home."


	6. Chapter 6

Never Again

Chapter 6

The whole ride to the hospital was pure hell for Jason. Between Carly's periodical moans of pain and heart-breaking whispered apologies and his intense need to kill A.J. he was on emotional overload.

All he could do was hold onto her trembling body and whisper words of reassurance and promises of safety. From the moment they pulled up at the General Hospital Emergency Room everything started happening really fast, but to Jason is drug on excruciatingly slow.

Moving quickly he called for help as soon as he passed through the doors. As the ER nursing staff ran forward, Tony Jones followed at a fast pace. Seeing this made Jason hesitate for a moment. He knew that Carly wouldn't want Tony to touch her no matter how bad her situation was. Knowing that an argument would occur the moment he requested another doctor, Jason searched for an excuse to get things done as soon as possible.

Finally he decided that the nature of her injuries allowed him an out, "She's going to want a female physician." As the words left his mouth he let Tony see that he was serious about this and that he wasn't going to change his mind.

Jason carefully lowered Carly onto a gurney and stopped the nurse from pulling the blanket shielding Carly away.

"She isn't- She doesn't have clothes on." Was all he managed to say as the sound of Carly crying ripped at this heart.

"Jason? Please don't leave me." She whimpered over and over despite his promises that he wasn't going anywhere.

Tony had been about to argue with Jason about requesting another doctor. but the fact that Carly was naked beneath the blanket wrapping her gave him a bad feeling about the extent of her injuries.

"Jason, let the nurses assess her condition while I page Dr. Meadows. You don't have to leave, but give them room to work." Tony walked away briskly making a list of the things in his head that might be needed on hand.

Ironically, he was concentrating so much on what he had just seen that he didn't notice Bobbie rushing by to assist in the Trauma Room.

She had been so distracted when she walked into the room that she didn't see Jason standing in the room. Glancing up from the paperwork she was going to need, Bobbie was shaken to see Jason's pale face staring intently at the patient.

"Jason? What's going on?" She asked hesitantly as she stepped forward. Before she even noticed the victim's blonde hair she knew without a doubt who was lying on the table.

"My god, Carly? Jason... what happened? What happened to my daughter?" Rushing over she glanced at Carly's battered face. The parts of Carly's body that she could see where covered with dark bruises and older yellow fading bruises. It was obvious that she had been being abused before today.

The nurse looked up at Bobbie and said, "We just sedated her. It looks like her nose is broken, possibly her lower jaw, a couple of ribs... we are going to have get some x-rays."

Dr. Meadows rushed in a picking up Carly's chart, she began to review what had been done and what would need to be done.

"Nurse Spencer, I am not going to ask you to assist on this, but if you can then you are welcome to stay in the room. However, the gentleman needs to step outside while we get the x-rays and some tests done."

Bobbie looked up at Jason with tears in her eyes, "I won't leave her."

Jason gave her a nod and pressed a tender kiss to Carly's forehead.

A thousand things went through Jason's head as he stood outside the trauma room. How had he let this happen? If he had not turned his back on Carly that day on the docks when she wanted to talk maybe he could have prevented this.

Would she have come to him then?

He knew that he loved her. But, knowing it and acting on it were two totally different things. Something always kept him from taking that final step. His pride, her crazy plans... everything that kept them apart suddenly disappeared as he realized that he couldn't- wouldn't let Carly go again. She belonged with him- they belonged with each other- Carly, Michael and him.

"Well... well... well. If it isn't my favorite criminal."

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience. He really didn't need this right now.

Turning he faced his nemesis, "What do you want Taggert?"

"What happened Angerboy? Did you finally snap and beat the crap out of that crazy lady friend of yours?" Taggert sneered.

"Go away." Jason replied turning to look through the small window again.

"Now, that's not very nice. You see, when cases like this are brought into General Hospital, well, the police are automatically notified. What can you tell me about what happened to Mrs. Quartermaine tonight?"

"Not now, Taggert." Jason didn't even turn to look at the other man.

Luckily for Taggert, Bobbie came out to give Jason an update on Carly's condition.

Noticing the detective standing there Bobbie turned and got in his face, "I hope you plan on doing something about this besides harassing Jason. You should be out looking for that weasel of a brother of his..."

Taggert put his hands up in defense, "I am here to find out what happened and who was involved. Can you provide any information?"

Jason tensed up, he wasn't ready to spread the word on Carly's situation. It needed to be handled delicately- he didn't want this to come back and hurt her or Michael in the future.

"What I know is that my daughter has been being abused. She has a broken nose, a fractured jaw, four broken ribs and if that was not enough she has been sexually assaulted..."

"Bobbie," Jason interrupted, "Can I see her now?"

"Sorry Jason," She wiped the tears from her face, "Go on in. They are going to move her into a room in a few minutes."

Jason was shocked that Taggert didn't say a word or make any move to stop him.

Carly was so pale and still lying there that he had to double check to make sure he could see the movement of her chest rising and falling with ever breath.

Taking her hand, he lifted it and pressed a kiss in her palm, "Hey. I'm back. They- they are going to take you upstairs to a room and I am going to stay with you until I can take you home. Michael is safe. I am going to call and check on him in a little bit. You just rest, ok. I love you."

He felt the tears stinging his eyes as the nurse walked up and told him that they were preparing to move her.

"I'll be up right behind you- so don't get scared ok. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again." Jason pressed a kiss to her lips lightly and walked away.

Taggert and Bobbie stood in the same spot that he had left them in.

Taggert cleared his throat, "I can't put an APB out on A.J. until I get a positive ID or someone comes forward with some information. That could take me until sometime tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Quartermaine just disappeared... guys like that don't face the consequences of their actions..."

Jason looked up at Taggert and actually caught a look in the other man's eyes that said he understood the anger Jason was feeling at the moment. Jason could almost swear that the cop had just given him time to get his own brand of justice for Carly.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! I am hoping back and forth and typing "notes" for my other stories so... please just put up with me... the whims of an "artist" BWHAHAHA. Anyway- I am in a serious funk cursing about the writers neglecting our JARLY as usual : )

Never Again

Chapter 7

Jason was surprised when Sonny showed up at the door to Carly's room. He hadn't called him and Sonny didn't have any love for Carly and vice versa.

"Uh, I talked to Emily and she told me what happened. I thought you might need something." Sonny glanced at his friend and then his eyes fell on the battered woman lying in the hospital bed. He felt rage begin to flow through his veins at the thought. He may not like Carly, but NO woman deserved to be beaten. It was one of the few things that truly set off the ruthless man inside of him. "So, Junior did this, huh? You want me to handle it? You say the word and anything you need man."

Jason gave him a nod and then turned to look back at Carly, "I am tempted- No, I am dying to kill A.J. right now. Taggert hinted at letting me handle this, but I don't think I can trust him. I am going to wait until Carly wakes up and see what she wants to do. Could you just have someone find him and keep an eye on him. I don't want the weasel to get away."

Sonny scratched his face and agreed, "So, is she going to be ok? They keeping her overnight?"

Jason sighed, "Nothing that won't heal, at least physically. They are going to keep her overnight for observation. Then I am bringing her home."

Sonny knew exactly what Jason meant by using the word "home". He personally couldn't see what Jason saw in the woman, but it was obvious by the way that the younger man was staring at her that he wasn't going to let her go again.

Bobbie was walking toward her daughter's room. She had finished up her rounds early so she could go and sit with her awhile. She knew that PCPD was going to come and take pictures and get a statement from Carly as soon as she woke up. Bobbie just hoped that it wasn't too traumatic for her daughter. She didn't need to go through anything else tonight.

"Bobbie? What in the hell is going? Det. Taggert just questioned Alan and me about A.J. and his whereabouts. What has that girl done now? Telling more lies?" Monica stalked up to her friend with anger radiating out of every pore of her body.

"What has Carly done? You want to know what CARLY has done..." Bobbie felt all the anger she had been trying to suppress burst out. Angrily she grabbed Monica's arm and drug her over to Carly's room. Pushing the sputtering woman into the room Bobbie pointed to where Carly was lying, thankfully still sedated and whispered harshly.

"This is what YOUR SON has done to MY daughter. Take a good look Monica because I swear to you that if you come after Carly or Michael in any way, shape or form you are going to have to do it over my dead body. I have stayed out of this out of respect for our longtime friendship, but NOT anymore. Look. Look at what A.J. has done to my little girl. How could you live in that has and condone this? How could you not have known something was going on?" Bobbie was so angry she shaking by the time she finished.

"My son... A.J. did this? Oh sweet heaven, I swear I didn't know Bobbie. I swear." Monica was so ashamed, she covered her mouth with a trembling hand.

Bobbie saw the look of genuine anguish and remorse on Monica's face and took pity on her, "I can't be angry for you not seeing it. I am her MOTHER and I didn't even realize that something was wrong until recently and LUKE of all people had to point it out to me."

Both women stepped out of the room with an irritated Jason following them, "You think maybe next time you want to tear someone a new asshole, Bobbie, you can do it outside the room?"

Bobbie choked on a chuckle, "Sorry Jason. How is she? Has she woken up at all yet?"

Jason shook his head and looked over at Monica, "It's not a good idea to be anywhere near me at the moment. Just the name Quartermaine pisses me off." With that he left the two women staring after him as he returned to Carly's bed side.

Monica looked at Bobbie with tears falling from her eyes, "He is so angry. I think he is really going to kill A.J. this time."

Jason took Carly's slender hand in his and placed a kiss on the top and palm, "Sorry about that. I bet you would be cheering your mom on right now. She sure tore into Monica. I was pretty impressed."

Carly struggled to open her eyes and moaned softly, "Jase?"

Jason sat up quickly, "Carly? Hey. Hey, I am right here."

"Jason, I am so ashamed. I didn't want you to see me like this. You must be so disgusted." Carly sniffled as she turned her head to look away from the man she loved so desperately.

"Disgusted? Baby, there is nothing disgusting about you. Even looking like you went 10 rounds and lost, you still are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Carly laughed softly at Jason's "brutal" honesty, placing her free hand to her face she grimaced, "I look pretty bad, huh? Wish I could say "the other guy" looked worse."

Jason's eyes darkened at her words, "Don't worry about A.J. I will take care of him. He is NEVER going to get a chance to hurt you or Michael again."

Carly closed her eyes as tears trickled down her cheeks. Jason used the pads of his thumbs to tenderly wipe the tears away.

Taking a shaky breath Carly whispered, "Will you hold me, please?"

Jason was startled by her request, he would have thought that she wouldn't want anyone near her. "Are you sure? I am not going anywhere, I promise. I wouldn't blame you for hating any man in sight at the moment."

Carly groaned, "Jason, you idiot, I do not, nor will I ever hate you. Now get up here with me and make me feel safe again."

Jason smirked, "Ok." Climbing in carefully he pulled Carly tenderly into his arms and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He could deny her nothing- especially not the opportunity to hold her in his arms and make her hurt go away.

This was how Bobbie found them ten minutes later, sound as asleep. She would wait until the female detective showed up to talk to Carly before she woke them. It was obvious that they needed each other and sleep more than they need anything else at the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

Never Again

Chapter 8

A.J. was a dead man. Jason took a deep breath and called Sonny. "I want to handle A.J. but I need to do it without leaving the hospital... any suggestions? Call me when you get here."

He had been willing to think rationally about what A.J.'s punishment would be. He would have considered jail time for the asshole, he would have let Carly tell him what she wanted to do, but after spending the last two hours in hell he was going to do things his way.

Jason hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose taking a moment to collect his thoughts. His options went through his mind along with the pros and cons. His thoughts kept going back to what he had seen earlier.

~ _two hours earlier_~

_"Jason? Carly?" Bobbie spoke softly not wanting to alarm the sleeping couple._

_Jason rubbed his eyes and carefully moved Carly away from him, "What's up?"_

_Carly moaned a little as she tried to settle back down, "Jase?"_

_"I am sorry to wake you, but the detective is here to talk to you Carly and she's going to need to take pictures for documentation." Bobbie walked over and took Carly's hand in hers and tried to offer some comfort._

_"Pictures? No way. No." Turning to Jason Carly began to cry, "I can't. I don't want anyone to know... to see..."_

_Jason leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, "I know you don't want to do this, but it has to be done. I would make it all go away if I could, but I can't. You have to do this because A.J. can't get away with doing this to you Carly."_

_"Will you stay with me?" Carly whimpered as she tried to wipe her face._

_"I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Jason tenderly wiped her tears away._

_"But, I don't want you to look ok? You have to promise. I don't want you to see, ok?" Carly was beginning to panic._

_Bobbie smiled down at her daughter softly, "I am going to stand right here and make sure he doesn't. I am also going to give you another shot of painkillers to make sure you don't get uncomfortable, sweetie."_

_Nothing could have prepared Jason for what followed. He had thought that he nothing could be as bad as her face- her beautiful face, so bruised and swollen. But as he had been trying not to look when they had taken Carly's hospital gown off he had been unable to not see what had caused Bobbie to gasp and start to cry silently._

_Not looking had been easy until then. He had been unable to look away from Carly, who was lying so still with her eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down her face until that moment._

_What he saw made him sick with rage. Her beautiful body was covered in a rainbow of colors- greens, yellows, purples and blues... You could see obvious handprints in places that should have been worshiped and cherished not abused and tortured. The worst was seeing the obvious physical signs of sexual assault. It was this moment that signed A.J.'s death warrant._

_Jason prayed that his normally blank expression held, because god help him he didn't want Carly to see his reaction. _

_Throughout it all he held one hand and Bobbie held the other when she was not documenting Carly's injuries. Bobbie was quick to give Carly a sedative as soon as the detective was finished. She just prayed that her daughter would find some peace in the oblivion of the drugs._

_After the object of their worry fell asleep, Bobbie pulled Jason out of the room._

_"If you don't kill him, I will," She stated, wiping her face and walking away with the weight of her anguish on her shoulders._

Finally he made his decision, calling Sonny again he knew what had to be done, "Hey man, sorry... I know what to do... yeah, ok... call Alexis... this what I am going to need..."

After hanging up he made another call, "You want in?" He waited for the answer and then gave his instructions.

Walking back into Carly's room he placed a tender kiss on her forehead, "I love you. No one is ever going to hurt you again."

Heading over to the nurses' station he caught Bobbie's eyes, "I am going to need you to stay with Carly. I never left her side, ok?"

Bobbie caught his meaning and smiled a deadly smile, "I couldn't drag you away."

The morgue was empty except for Luke, Sonny, Johnny and A.J. Jason didn't even stop when he walked into the room and punched A.J. in the face. "You are going to die. I am going to kill you. We can do this two ways- one, you sign what I tell you to sign and I kill you quick, two, you don't do what I tell you- I cut off your balls, let Luke have some fun and let you bleed to death slowly... your choice."

"Fuck you, man. You're going to kill me, your brother, over that whore?" A.J. laughed spitting the blood out of his mouth.

"Luke, I don't think he realizes I am serious... what do you think?" Jason shot the other man a look and stepped back.

Luke just smiled and cut A.J. left ear off ignoring A.J. scream of agony, "Please... please choose option two, Jun-ior."

By the time A.J. signed the documents giving Carly a divorce, full custody of Michael and left his entire estate to Michael, he had no ears and two missing fingers. Jason was actually amazed that the idiot held out that long. With one shot to the groin, he let the weasel suffer for a few minutes before placing the final shot to the head.

Johnny laughed grimly, "Remind me never to piss you off."

Sonny just shook his head, "I knew you were evil Luke, but come on... the ears? I actually felt the pain when you shot his balls of Jason, that was just sick."

Jason looked over at the other men, handed Luke the paperwork and walked away. No one would know what happened down in that morgue, but everyone would suspect that A.J. had been sent to hell by his hand. In case Taggert developed a conscience, Sonny had made arrangements to make it look like A.J. had left town. It was done.

Stepping into the room, Jason caught Bobbie's eyes and nodded, "Hell just got a new tenant."

Bobbie closed her eyes and let out a breath, "Thank you."

Jason went over and sat on the other side of the woman he loved and tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"I want to take her home now. Can you arrange it?"

Bobbie knew that tone and knew that there would be no arguing with him, "I'll get the paperwork."

Carly's eyes fluttered, "Jase?"

"Hey, I'm here. Right here." He placed a kiss on her hand and placed it against his cheek.

"Have you been here the whole time? You have to be tired." She looked at him with such a look of love and faith that Jason's heart felt like it would explode.

"Yep. Never left. You feel up to going home?" He asked placing another kiss to her lips.

"I thought you'd never ask." She smiled sleepily.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I am working on several stories at once so I can only hope that you hang in there with me! Love to all! JARLY rules!

Never Again

Chapter 9

As the limo pulled into the parking garage, Carly burrowed deeper into Jason's chest. The ride from the hospital had been quiet each lost in their own thoughts.

"Does everyone know?" She finally whispered breaking the silence. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the flood of tears that had been waiting to fall since she had looked in the mirror while getting dressed. She knew exactly how bad she looked and she was never one to go out looking less than her best. Her appearance was her personal shield to protect her from the judgmental, hypocritical and harsh world she lived in. She knew that there was no way she could hide all of the damage, not even with make-up could cover up the worst of the bruises. She could have dealt with looking beat up, that wasn't her problem; she was more concerned that everyone knew what had been happening to her. The thought sent a rush of shame flowing through her and it made even the simple act of breathing hard to do.

Jason could hear the vulnerability in her voice and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Leaning close to her ear he answered her question, "No one is going to do or say anything to you, I promise. You don't need to worry about anyone. The only people that matter know the truth and love you." He was concerned that she would start to withdrawal from him and shut him out, but so far she still wanted him around and he was extremely thankful for that.

Carly blew out a deep breath, " I just- I just don't want anyone to see me like this."

Sighing Jason tucked a loose curl behind her ear and looked into her eyes, "You just close your eyes and hold on to me, ok. We'll go up the service elevator and Johnny will make sure that no one gets close to us."

Thirty minutes later, he had her tucked into her bed and resting comfortably. The long morning had taken its toll on her and by the time she had taken a pill for the pain and laid her head on the pillow she was out like a light. Jason pulled up a chair and sat close to the bed. Silently watching her, he felt himself relax just a little.

They had agreed that Michael would stay with Bobbie for a few days so that her facial bruises would be given a chance to improve. Carly was adamant about not scaring Michael when he looked at her. Jason thought she was being silly, but hadn't been able to resist her pleading eyes.

Closing his eyes, he noticed how quiet the penthouse seemed after the hustle and bustle of the hospital. It was soothing in a strange way to be able to sit and think without the constant interruptions and background noises.

Johnny poked his head into Carly's room and spoke in a low voice, "Jason, Taggert is downstairs. You want me to get rid of him?"

Opening his eyes, Jason groaned in frustration- let the games begin he thought with a shake of his head.

"I got it. Would you sit with her? I don't want to leave her alone in case she wakes up." Jason stood up and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"No problem man." Johnny took up Jason's post as he watched his boss and friend head off to deal with the police. He hoped that everything went smoothly downstairs because he just didn't think that Jason could calmly handle any of Taggert's bullshit at the moment.

Jason walked down the stairs and tried to gauge the mood in the room. Was Taggert here to cause problems?

"Morgan. Sorry to disturb you. I hope Mrs.- Miss Spencer is recovering ok." Taggert looked over the other man carefully, looking for any signs of distress.

"What do you want?" Jason wasn't in the mood to play games.

"Just thought I would let you know that A.J. Quartermaine has left town. We have reports that he's run off to Europe. I hate to have to tell you that we are unable to continue the investigation. You and your friend may want to know that so she can relax." Taggert turned to walk out the door.

Jason was impressed with Taggert and that was saying something, "Why?"

Marcus Taggert had seen a lot of the ugly sides of life since he had joined the force. He wanted to swear that problems could be solved legally and that following the rules of the law mattered. Unfortunately, too often those with power and money never got punished and their victims always suffered because of it.

Looking over his shoulder he answered honestly, "If there is one thing I hate worse than the mob and criminals, it's wife-beating rapists."

Jason accepted the answer and gave Taggert the credit he was due, "Thanks."

Taggert laughed, "Until next time."

Sighing Jason ran a hand through his hair and rolled his neck. At least that was one problem taken care of. Who would have thought that Detective Taggert, the living, breathing pain in his ass, could be a stand-up guy?

Shaking his head Jason decided to jump in the shower after checking on Carly. Maybe the hot water would loosen the tension in his shoulders. He should be feeling relieved, but for some reason he wasn't. This whole thing had just been resolved so neatly- Carly was home, A.J. was dead and PCPD was looking the other way. Something was bound to happen sooner or later to screw things up.

_You're mine... I own you... you are nothing... whore..._

Whimpering, Carly tried to block out the voice echoing in her head. Nothing seemed to stop his taunting and ever effort she made to shut him out failed. She could actually feel his hands tightening around her throat and feeling panic overwhelm her she began to struggle, fighting for each breath she took.

Jason woke-up to the sound of Carly's struggles and gasps for air. It broke his heart to see the tears streaming down her face and to hear the pain and fear in each whimper nearly killed him. He promised to be there for her and he had failed her. He had turned his back on her when she needed him the most. She may forgive him, but he wasn't sure he would ever be able to forgive himself.

Reaching over he pressed his hand softly to her cheek, "Carly, it's ok. You're safe. You're home."

It took him repeating this over and over several times for the statement to have its desired effect and for her to show some sign of awareness.

"Jase... oh my god... He's going to kill me... I don't want to die..." she gasped as she choked on a strangled sob.

Crawling into bed beside her, he pulled her gently into his arms, placing her head upon his chest.

"Shhhh... I promise you that he will NEVER hurt you or Michael again. I've got you and I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again..." Jason pressed a kiss to the top of her head and rubbed his hand soothingly down her back.

Snuggling into his chest, Carly felt a sense of peace and security envelope her. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so secure. It had been so long since she had been able to let down her guard and just relax, not have to look over her shoulder and wait for another blow to fall.

Letting herself relax she allowed sleep to claim her, Jason would keep her safe. As the darkness swept over her she didn't even hear the soft voice above her whispering words of love and reassurance.

Jason sensed the moment she stopped fighting sleep and took a deep breath. He knew that the nightmares were most likely going to keep happening, but he had managed to help her get through the first one. Somehow he would help her get through this- nightmares, pain- whatever she needed, he would give to her without hesitation.

Placing another kiss to the top of her head he murmured, "I love you , Carly, always."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Basically this is NC-17, I would like to note that this is my first "REAL" love scene- any comments? I am still blushing! Thanks for the reviews- Reviews are love!

Never Again

Chapter 10

A loud crack of thunder woke Jason. He had finally managed to fall asleep with Carly nestled in his arms.

Carly. Looking around the empty room Jason began to panic. When had she woken up? Why had she left him asleep?

Throwing back the sheets, Jason called out in the darkness for her, but never got a response. With his heart beating loudly in his ears, Jason quickly made his way into the dark hallway and down the penthouse stairs.

He froze when he saw that the doors to the balcony were thrown open, the sound of rain drowning out everything else.

"Carly!" He shouted as he raced toward the doorway. He stopped when his eyes found her. She stood like a statue in the pouring rain, wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers. The rain had plastered the clothing to her skin and her hair hung loosely down her back. She had never looked more fragile than she did at that moment. He was scared to call out to her, afraid that the tiniest sound would send her flying over the edge of whatever precipice she stood.

Slowly he stepped out into the rain and moved toward her. In the end, he hadn't needed to say anything- she knew he was there, he could tell in the way her body had tensed.

Glancing over her shoulder she smiled bitterly, "They say the rain is healing... That it can wash away your worries, your fears, your sins... I have been standing here and wondering- how much rain would have to fall before I felt healed- clean again. In the end would it just- wash me away completely?"

Jason wiped at the rain dripping down his face, mixing with the tears that began to fall at her words, "Carly, don't do this to yourself. We will get through this..."

Carly whipped around furiously, "We? This didn't happen to you. It happened to ME! Who would have thought that my plan would succeed, huh? I wanted A.J. to drink, I wanted to get him to lose control. Looks like I got what I wanted, huh? I have no one to blame, but myself. ME. I did this!"

Looking over her, Jason noticed that her body had begun to shake and her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

"This isn't your fault. No matter what you did, or didn't do- A.J. had no right to hurt you. And if you think for one minute that I am just going to let you go through this alone, then you don't know anything." Jason went to place his arms around her only to have her shove him back angrily.

"Don't you get it? You can't make this go away. When I close my eyes, I see him- I- I can still feel his hands on my body." Closing her eyes Carly tried to catch her breath, "Everyone was right when they said I was a whore. Look at me Jason- Look at me and see what I am- what I have always been and always will be- I am nothing but a whore!"

Jason felt his temper begin to rise, "That's bullshit and you know it. What I see when I look at you is the mother of my son, my best friend, my lover- I see everything, when I look at you, you are everything."

Ignoring her attempt to pull away from him, he closed his arms around her tightly and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Carly and nothing is going to take that away. No one is going to take you away from me ever again."

She didn't even realize that she had gone from fighting him to clinging to him until she heard those three words- three words that she never thought she would ever hear from him. Somewhere something deep inside of her snapped and she lifted her face to his and pressed her bruised lips against his desperately.

Jason felt the need flowing through her as her lips crashed into his. Gently he pushed her back and looked into her eyes, brushing the wet hair off her face he placed both hands on her face and leaned down, "I love you."

Carly closed her eyes and hesitated only for the tiniest second as she re-opened her eyes and placing her hands over his whispered back, "I love you, too."

Jason felt relief wash over him as he pulled her against his chest and placed a kiss tenderly on her lips. He hadn't meant for it to turn into something more, but something about the way she clung to him, her body pressed perfectly to his and the way she gave herself freely to him awoke the passion that had always been between them.

By the time they pulled away from each other both of them were shaking with pent up desire. Jason wanted to give her time to heal, time to find peace with herself, but her next words stopped him cold.

"Jase, I need you. Make love to me- here, in the rain. Make me forget, please." She looked up at him, her brown eyes pleading.

Jason knew that he might regret it later, but for now, he could refuse her nothing.

Slowly he pulled her toward him and kissed her with all the passion he had held back for so long. Her hands crept his abdomen and made their way to his back, her nails scratching his skin lightly.

Pulling back, she kept her eyes focused on him as she pulled her shirt over her head and reaching for his hands, she placed them on her battered body, "Make me forget his touch... make me yours."

Jason growled in anger as he saw the bruises marring her beautiful skin, at her desire-filled plea, he picked her up and carried her over to a lounge chair. Carefully, he lowered her to her feet and sitting down , he placed a soft kiss on her belly. Then moving from place to place he placed more kisses and whispered words of love, hoping to take her pain away.

Standing up he pulled off his sweat pants and boxers and then carefully pulled hers down as well. Her eyes never left him as she watched each movement with hungry eyes.

Pushing him back down on the lounge chair she straddled him and tugging on his hair she looked him in the eyes, "Later you can be gentle... I need you- now."

He groaned as he positioned his pulsing flesh between her legs and felt the heat of her desire, "I don't want to hurt you, baby."

After reassuring him quietly she pulled him into a hungry kiss, hoping to distract him as she slowly lowered herself down on him. Each movement sent a wave of desire flowing through her. She would be lying to say that her body was aching still from the abuse it had suffered, but right now all she wanted was to be a part of this man.

Jason lost himself in her kiss, with a dizzy head he realized that he was almost home. Almost buried completely in her moist center. It was the soft whimper of desire and the brush of her teeth against his bottom lip that sent him spiraling out of control.

Placing his hands on her hips he pulled her down until he was buried to the hilt. He could feel her clenching around him, she was so wet and tight that he thought he was going to explode right then. Taking a few deep breaths, he lifted her up slowly, almost leaving her body, before he brought her down again. His lips left hers and traveled down her neck before moving lower to latch onto a pink nipple.

Hungrily, he swirled his tongue around the hardened pebble and then using his teeth he bit down before sucking her nipple into his mouth again.

Carly could feel her body shaking. His mouth on her breast felt unbelievable. She could feel her body responding to each move he made and slowly she took up the rhythm he had begun. Every rise and fall of her body brought him deeper into her. Ever touch of his hand made her feel reborn.

Feeling the heat rush through her body she moaned, "Oh... Jason... Oh..."

Jason felt her tightening around him and took control, pulling her harder and faster toward him and toward release.

His mouth released the nipple it had been sucking and leaning his head on her should he bite down lightly on her neck causing her to squeal in ecstasy.

Feeling his teeth against her sensitive skin was the breaking point for her, throwing her head back in wild abandon she let herself get carried away.

As Jason felt her orgasm, he pushed into her deep on last time before allowing himself to go over. He had wanted this to last forever, but she had just felt too damn good.

Blinking back the rain from her eyes, Carly lowered her head to Jason's shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"I love you, Jason."

Struggling to control his breathing, Jason pulled her tightly against him. Still buried deeply in her he swore nothing had ever felt more perfect, more right. "I love you, too Carly. Always."

Neither paid any attention to how long they sat locked together letting the rain fall around them, but after a bit Jason carefully lifted Carly off him and picking her up he carried her back into the penthouse and back to his room.

Not even bothering to dry them of he placed her on his bed and crawled in next to her. Holding her in his arms he rain his hand through her wet hair and listened to her breathing as it evened out and she fell asleep.

Placing a kiss on top of her head he closed his eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt complete. Carly was his other half and no one would come between them ever again. He made a promise to Carly as he felt sleep pulling at him- He would never let her go. He had done it once- but, never again.


End file.
